Gov. Terry Branstad appointed Aileen Faye Mahood as the student representative to the state Board of Regents Wednesday.

Mahood, a University of Northern Iowa student, replaced Melissa Johnson-Matthews who retired from her position in July.

Mahood is working on bachelor degrees in chemistry teaching and chemistry and is scheduled to graduate in May 1996.

R. Wayne Richey, executive director of the board, said Mahood will serve for the 1 1/2 years left of Johnson-Matthews’ term. He said she will be eligible for reappointment if she is still a student.

Richey said student representatives are required to be students at a Regent university at the time of appointment, but they do not have to be students throughout their terms.

Richey said this appointment had to be a woman and could not be a republican in order to maintain a balanced board. Johnson-Matthews was also a UNI student, and Richey said Branstad felt “if he could he wanted to let a UNI student continue with the position.”

Until Johnson-Matthews’ appointment, Richey said, all regents appointed as students have been Iowa State students. Students have been serving on the board for 20 years.

“The whole idea behind student representatives is to have a Regent who is having or has recently had the student experience,” Richey said. “They have been first-rate appointments.”